Collection Data

Page Contents: Section | Significance | Background | Location & Dates | Taxonomic Contents | Documentation | Description of Collection | Collection Inventory | Collection Assets

NHM Corals and Gorgonians

Section Responsible for Processing

MBC

Significance

For more than a decade mostly large coral heads were housed at the North Grand Warehouse.**22 February 2011 Museum Marine Invertebrate Collections staff relocated these to the South Grand Facility.**This is not a single collection, but rather at least 4, 5 or more collections: Samoa, Tahiti, Philippines, Farnsworth Bank, Eckhart, CalTech, Allan Hancock Foundation and more.

The Collection was then relocated to the Carson Warehouse April 2013.
There are 86 wooden crates of oversized specimens and 8 lane cases of mostly gorgonians. Three of the 8 cases contain stony corals and sponges. One of the 8 cases houses bryozoans and barnacles. The remaining cases contain mostly gorgonians.

Pago Pago Samoa, collected November 1937 to May 1935:**According to the “Transfer and de-Accession Sheet” dated 17 February 1978, there were originally 20 standard museum crates of large coral pieces and 70 museum crates of smaller pieces of coral, some natural, some painted.**22 February 2011 there were about 10-20 crates.**We did not observe any painted pieces.**Specimens appear to have been field dried as some infauna remains attached.

Tahiti: an accession note associated with some specimens, appears to have come from a private donation, but it is unclear which specimens this accession card is associated with.

Philippine Corals from the Norton and Domontey Collections. The 1966 Manilla Times newspaper in which specimens had been wrapped hint at origin.

Some lots are clearly labelled Farnsworth Bank, off Catalina Island. Other specimens are labelled from “So. Calif.” These may have been collected for the NHM Marine Hall dioramas, constructed in the 1970s? This Hall was decommissioned in the mid-2000s.

The Eckhart Coral Collection (LACMNH Accession F.A.3738.99-1) was donated to the museum and some of the specimens were wrapped in heat sealed plastic. These specimens were purchased at various markets and some have price labels associated with the specimens. There is no data associated with this collection other than the cost.

Cal Tech Collection has little to no data associated with specimens.

Also housed at the Carson Warehouse are (1) a wooden crate containing a large vermetid colony; (2) coral heads with Cryptochiridae crab galls; and (3) a crate of Alaska sponges.

Background

No information available.

Collection Location and Dates

See above.

Taxonomic Contents

Mostly hard corals, some gorgonians, a few sponges and bryzoans, associated in fauna (brittle stars, crabs).

Documentation

Very few specimens have data associated with them. Some of the smaller specimens have CalTech labels associated with them.

Description of Collection

All material is unsorted, stored in crates, some plastic wrapped, most not, others wrapped in newspaper.

Collection Inventory

There are XXX large crates and XXX shallow malacology trays that were transferred to South Grand 22 Feb 2011. XXX shallow malacology trays remain at North Grand in the northeast corner of the building with other invertebrates.

Collection Assets

Date View or Retrieve File Information
02/11/2011 View [1299.6 kB] painted specimen?
02/11/2011 View [1283.1 kB] Tahiti accession card
02/11/2011 View [744.7 kB] maybe from Southern California?, Farnsworth Bank?
02/11/2011 View [1425.0 kB] rubble
02/11/2011 View [1221.5 kB] Branch Coral Deep Water S. California A 765
02/11/2011 View [1277.2 kB] most corals without data
02/11/2011 View [1280.4 kB] Eckhart Coral Collection
02/11/2011 View [1215.6 kB] Eckhart Coral Collection
02/11/2011 View [1332.7 kB] sponge
02/11/2011 View [1199.9 kB] Eckhart Coral Collection
02/11/2011 View [1344.4 kB] Eckhart Coral Collection
02/11/2011 View [1257.9 kB] bryozoan
02/11/2011 View [1299.4 kB] really animal?
02/11/2011 View [1443.4 kB] corals: example of shallow tray contents
02/11/2011 View [1150.1 kB] painted specimen?
02/11/2011 View [1404.0 kB] black coral
02/11/2011 View [1334.1 kB] sponges, corals, gorgonian
02/11/2011 View [1345.8 kB] gorgonian
02/11/2011 View [1382.0 kB] corals in large crate, no data
02/11/2011 View [1368.7 kB] corals in large crate with interstitial dwellers
02/11/2011 View [1369.8 kB] corals in large crate with interstitial dwellers
02/11/2011 View [1385.8 kB] corals in large crate with interstitial dwellers
02/11/2011 View [1376.4 kB] corals in large crate with interstitial dwellers
02/11/2011 View [1435.2 kB] corals and gorgonian
02/11/2011 View [1337.7 kB] coral with barnacle
02/11/2011 View [1322.2 kB] coral with barnacle, closer view of barnacle
02/11/2011 View [1241.9 kB] coral head
02/11/2011 View [1310.1 kB] corals: example of shallow tray contents
02/11/2011 View [1268.7 kB] gorgonians: example of shallow tray contents
02/11/2011 View [1277.2 kB] corals: example of shallow tray contents
02/11/2011 View [1235.8 kB] corals: example of shallow tray contents
02/11/2011 View [1214.1 kB] corals: example of shallow tray contents
02/11/2011 View [1304.9 kB] corals: example of shallow tray contents
02/11/2011 View [1399.0 kB] Mary Stecheson and Regina Wetzer examining odd specimen
02/11/2011 View [1295.2 kB] Samoa Collection: Transfer and Accession Data Sheet
02/11/2011 View [1209.1 kB] Samoa Collection: Transfer and Accession Data Sheet
02/11/2011 View [1218.1 kB] Samoa Collection: Transfer and Accession Data Sheet
02/11/2011 View [1386.3 kB] Samoa Collection: Transfer and Accession Data Sheet
02/11/2011 View [1389.7 kB] Samoa Collection: Transfer and Accession Data Sheet
02/11/2011 View [1372.9 kB] Adam Wall and Regina Wetzer cleaning and rehousing specimens
02/11/2011 View [1224.6 kB] Adam Wall cleaning and rehousing specimens
02/11/2011 View [1298.7 kB] Samoa Collection: Transfer and Accession Data Sheet with large specimen crate
02/11/2011 View [1338.4 kB] example contents of large crate
02/11/2011 View [1179.8 kB] Adam Wall, Regina Wetzer Mary Stecheson
02/11/2011 View [1450.3 kB] Samoa Collection: Transfer and Accession Data Sheet with large specimen crate
02/11/2011 View [1321.2 kB] mostly with CalTech labels
02/11/2011 View [1376.2 kB] mostly with CalTech labels
02/11/2011 View [1223.0 kB] maybe from Southern California?, Farnsworth Bank?
02/11/2011 View [1332.6 kB] Kathy Omura with coral
02/11/2011 View [1332.1 kB] Kathy Omura with coral
02/11/2011 View [1211.3 kB] Tahiti accession card
// View [1366.6 kB]  

Curatorial Status (Click to view)